GRAND NATIONAL DOCS!
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Typed by: BamBam/ORACLE
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The Grand National is regarded as the toughest race in the world, and
those who ride in it risk injury or death. Your job as jockey is to
conquer the course by choosing the right horse for the conditions and
riding it correctly. Running a number nationals will build up a career
record, and a final award is given to the top riders.
The Grand National
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The National has always been run at the Aintree race course near Liver-
pool. The full Aintree course involves sixteen fences, all but two of
which are covered twice, making a total of thirty fences. The maximum
entry list to the National is forty horses, some of whom pull out before
race day due the injury of illness; they can be ridden by either amateurs
or professionals. The National lasts about ten minuts (although the game
clock runs faster).
HORSE RACING
FORM:
Is the measure of a horse's previous performance and is used to calculate
its expected future performance. A horse had to have competed to have form,
and as all horses have won a race with a value of a thousand pounds in the
last year to qualify for the Grand National, all its runners have form. In
the game, form is given as a zero to 25 point rating.
GOING:
Indicates the ground conditions. The best going is gernerally "Good",
although most horses have a preference and perform best on a particular
going.
AGE:
The older a horse gets the more probability it has of dying.
BETTING (ODDS)
Betting in the game is either "On The Nose" - That is, you only bet on a
horse to come first or "Each Way" - where a horse finishing in the first
four will receive a quarter of the Winnings. The odds have been kept simple,
but a 10% betting tax is deducted, so that if you bet $10, it will be
reduced to $9. If you win, your original stake will also be returned.
EXAMPLE:
You bet $10 on a horse at odds of 10-1. After tax $9 is betted, so that if
it wins. you will get 9 x 10 = $90 + $9 (original stake) = $99
The odds will give you a guide as how to likely a horse is to win: the
lower the odds, the more chance the bookmakers think it has ie. a horse
with odds of 10-1 is more likely to win than a horse at 20-1.
BETTING
1. Select the BET ICON.
2. The horse to be backed should be indentified with its number, by
placing the Cursor on the up or down icons on the Screen keypad,
you can scroll through the 40 horses.
3. When the number of the horse is known type the number of the horse
into the Screen keypad using the Joystick/Mouse or Arrow Keys.
Then press ENTER.
4. Then you can type in the amount you wish to bet by using the On
Screen Keypad. Then press ENTER.
5. You will then be asked
1. Win or
2. Each Way.
Chosse 1 or 2 by typing in on the keypad, then press ENTER.
NOTE: You may only bet up to Five times.
LOADING INSTRUCTIONS
IMPORTANT - FOR VIRUS PROTECTION
Switch computer off - leave for minimum of ten seconds - switch back on
and enter disc. Amiga Insert Disc 1 & Reset, Insert Disc 2 when requested.
PLAYING INSTRUCTIONS
The game is split into three parts.
1. Race Report In which you plan you strategy. Buy a horse or
horses for your Stable, decide which horse from
your Stable you wish to ride that year, bet or
sell horses in your Stable
2. The Race Ride to win!
3. Final Report Results
1. THE PRE-RACE REPORT
Only ten horses are diplayed at a time - Arrows on pre-race keypad move
through a list of horses.
CHOOSING YOUR HORSE:
When you own more than one horse, you must choose which of you horses to
ride each year.
THE RACE:
The main race screen allows you to monitor your horse from side and over-
head views. You increase your speed by cracking the whip.
KEYS: PAUSING GAME:
F1 = Pause (Fire Button, Left Mouse Button or Return to un-pause)
F10 = Quit
RACING ON SCREEN MOVE CURSOR
KEYS:
Up/Down Cursor Keys Speed Up Up/Down
Return Jump Select
Left/Right Cursor Keys Steers Horse Left/Right
JOYSTICK:
Up/Down Speed Up Up/Down
Fire Jump Select
Left/Right Steers Horse Left/Right
MOUSE:
Left Button Speed Up Select
Right Button Jump
Move Left/Right Steers Horse Left/Right
RACE SCREEN DISPLAY:
Bargraph Energy Level Indicator Horse Position No.
Bargraph Speed Level Indicator Leading Horse No.
Fence No. Indicator
Course Map & Tracking Dot
STEWARDS ENQUIRY
Bumping other horses while racing is likely cause a Stewards' Enquiry,
the result of which can range from disqualification to a career ban
(which will be made at the end of the race). So beware!
THE RESULTS REPORT
At the end of the race you will be given the results, any gains made from
backing a winning horse and any prize money due.
PRIZE MONEY
1st $40,000
2nd $14,000
3rd $ 7,000
4th $ 3,000
PLAYING HINTS
When riding your horse you should take into account the running style. So
if your horse is a good all-rounder, you will be able to keep up a good
pace all round the track. However, if you have a strong finisher, then
don't tire the horse on the first lap!
Refer to this list when buying your horse.
NO. NAME GROUND
1 Greasepaint Good
2 Artimorval Good
3 Doorstep Good
4 Lucky Vane Firm
5 Whistling Genatap Good
6 Hallo Dandy Soft
7 Corbiere Good
8 West Tip Good
9 Drumlargen Firm
10 Eyecatcher Soft
11 Fortina's Express Good
12 Duke of Milan Good
13 Broomy Bank Firm
14 Ballinaurra Lad Good
15 Pirate Son Firm
16 Glen Fox Good
17 Kumbi Firm
18 Fox Bury Good
19 Luck Daughter Soft
20 Matty Buskins Good
21 Fethard Friend Soft
22 Rubistic Firm
23 Rockin' Berry Firm
24 Howarth Halloway Firm
25 Classified Soft
26 Mr Pepper Soft
27 Grand Ogan Soft
28 Last Suspect Firm
29 Talon Firm
30 Good Crack Good
31 Nicky Tam Firm
32 Tacroy Soft
33 Cockle Strand Soft
34 Why Forget Firm
35 Max Friendly Soft
36 Succeeded Good
37 Road Mead Soft
38 First Glance Firm
39 Derby Creek Firm
40 Terry's nag Soft
There are four icons:
1. Horses Head Icon.
This accesses the STABLE window at the top of the screen in Blue. This
screen shows all the horses in they players possession. The player will
be prompted to choose a horse from their Stable to ride that year and
input the number of the horse via the numeric kaypad below the 4 icons
on screen. When a horse has been chose to ride, it will be highlighted in
white when the player views the main list of horses. (Top window with red
text). Pressing the up/down arrows on the on-screen keypeed will reveal
the horses preferred "going" and any winnings the horse may have won.
2. $ Sign Icon.
This accesses the BUY/SELL window at the top of the screen in Green. The
player will be prompted to input on the on-screen keypad.
1. - To buy a horse.
2. - To sell a horse.
If the player selects to BUY a horse, then they must choose one within
their price range (see 'cash' on main panel) and input its number, this
horse will then have been added to the players Stable screen. If selling,
then the above procedure is the same, but the horse will be deleted from
the players Stable. When a horse has died, through exhaustion or during
a fall, then its value drops to $100, the dead horse is then best sold.
Pressing the up/down arrows on the on-screen keypad will reveal the 40
horses, preferred 'going' and any money they may have won in teh past.
3. Bet Icon.
This accesses the bet function. The player will be prompted to input via
the on-screen keypad, the number of the horse to bed on, how much they
wish to bet and whether it is a 'to win' or 'each way' bet.
4. The Running Horse Icon.
This loads the main race, if a player owns more thanone horse that is fit,
they will have to choose a horse to ride that year, via the STABLE ICON.
SPEED/ENERGY BARGRAPH LEVEL INDICATORS:
The bars (meters) either side of the race screen are an indication of the
horses speed and energy that the player is currently riding.
SPEED METER.
The top 'sectioned' quarter of the speed bar indicates the Speed of the
horse when it is running flat out (this cannot be sustained for long).
When the meter is in this top quarter, the energy of the horse will begin
to drop very quickly. The second top quarter of the speed bar also reduces
the horses energy, but not at such a drastic rate. The ideal speed for the
majority of the race which conserves energy is at the top of the third
quarter from the bottom of the speed 'bar'. If the speed drops into the
lower bottom quarter of the speed bar, this causes the horses to stop
galloping and will result in a fall at the next fence.
ENERGY METER.
The top 'sectioned' quarter of the energy meter is related to the form of
the horse. If a horse has the highest from, then its energy will fill the
whole top quarter. If a horse has an average form, then the lower half of
the top sectioned quarter will be the most energy that the horse is capable
of using. If the horses speed is pushed over the half way line on the speed
meter, then the energy will start to drop and continue to drop if the speed
is no lowered. If the meter reaches the bottom of the energy bar, then the
horse will fall due to exhaustion. The energy meter will start to rise if
speed is not increesed.
PLAYING TIPS.
1. The player should make sure he has close to full energy for the
final furlong, so that he can make the horse go as fast as
possible.
2. The horses with the best form may not necessarily finish in the top
places. Try to keep your horses speed at about half way on the
meter, conserving energy for strategic bursts of speed.
3. At the start of every season you should check to see whether your
horses are fit and consider buying/selling.
4. Ensure you have bought a horse before you start betting as you may
not have sufficient funds to buy a horse to ride.
5. Try to ride a horse in every year.
(C) 1990 Elite Systems Ltd.